Recently I found myself in a mini political debate on Facebook with a friend who is a former Army wife (her husband is a veteran now). She found it shocking that I am a supporter of President Obama and in no uncertain terms let me know I was the only Army wife she knew that supported President Obama. I can promise I am not the only wife of a soldier that supports the current administrations bid for re-election. I am however one of the more outspoken wives in our private lives but that is only because I have a passion for current events, politics, and legislation which creates a situation I find myself in of being well read on the subject matter.
The downsize of the military is needed with one war ended and another one coming to an end. Even with the downsizing this country will still be a military super power; this will not change anytime soon at least not in my life time. My husband was fortunate enough to be able to re-enlist a couple days ago for three more years. I am very much aware of the possibility of him not being able to re-enlist in a couple of years because of the downsizing which is why I am so angry the Republicans voted down the veterans job bill. My husband is working very hard to make sure he is squared away with PT, weight, boards, promotion points, not getting in trouble, no family drama, or school drama up at the kids school in the hopes of still being able to re-enlist and even then if he is not able to re-enlist coming up with a plan B. We know what it takes to be a civilian family. We were a civilian family with children at the height of the economic meltdown; if need be we can do it again with an improving economy. The current administration and the Democrats wants to take care of this country's military members, military families, and veterans however the Republicans in the congress continue to vote against the economic interest of vets and active duty alike.
Speaking form a purely selfish aspect of course I did not cast my early vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket. I love my husband and I am not about to vote for a man who has basically said he will send my husband off to war again. Nope I voted for the guy who ended one war, is ending a second war, and is working hard with diplomatic relations to bring peace to this global society we live in. I look forward to my husband going out in humanities missions helping people all over the globe instead of being shot at coming home with nightmares or worse.
As a military spouse thinking forward I ask myself what if Romney wins the nomination to become the next president? I see very hard times for the military community in the near future and for years to come. I am sure Romney will start another war to insure continue profit for the Military Industrial Complex (private military contract companies). Then I have to ask myself how will the Romney administration pay for this war because given his current budget plan as Former President Bill Clinton said the math doesn’t add up to fund another war. I see the nations debt increase substantially. I also see a LOT of cuts to programs that military families rely heavily on in order to provide a middle class lifestyle for our families. I see the following if Romney is elected: Commissary contracted out to a for profit grocery store with price increases to products we pay for, Tri-care dismantled with high monthly premium and co-pays added, funding for DOD schools gutted, BAH stripped away, BAS stripped away, combat pay gone, and a significant cut to survivor benefits for families who have lost their loved one. I fear this type of outcome just based on how Republicans have treated service members, their families, and veterans for example Walter Reed, refusing to bring pay adjustment for survivor benefits to the floor for a vote, voting down the veterans job bill cutting veteran services, and the rise of private contractors under the Bush administration just to name a few.